Living the Pittsburgh Life: Part 3
by angelkittysmith
Summary: My friend, Carly Shay, and her parents, Sam and Freddie, join me and my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri on more summer outings including Trivia Night, the Cat Cafe, Polish Hill, Arsenal Bowling Lanes, Games n At, and an outdoor movie. NOTE: I do NOT own Liberty's Kids or iCarly. Nickelodeon and PBS Kids do.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Trivia at Hough's

One cool third Saturday of July 2018, I met my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri, along with my other best friend, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie, at Hough's in Greenfield for Trivia Night. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Are you liking the cooler weather this weekend, Sarah?" Carly asked. "I sure am, Carly," Sarah replied. "Today feels more like September than July!" "I told you guys that we were eventually going to be in this kind of summer pattern," I told Sarah and Carly. "It was no surprise due to El Nino developing." "What is El Nino?" Carly asked. "It is something that forms in the Pacific Ocean that Angel is so passionate about," Sarah replied. We then sat down at a table. "How are things going, James?" Mrs. Shay asked James. "They are going fine, Mrs. Shay," James replied. "I just miss Phillis so much since she temporarily dated and then broke up with me my freshman year of high school. Do you think that we could get married sometime?" "No, James," Mrs. Shay replied. "I am perfectly happy with Freddie as my husband." "If James marries your wife, I would miss him too much, Mr. Benson," Henri pointed out. "I know, Henri," Mr. Benson replied. "But, we are still friends." We all got some food to eat before trivia. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with tater tots, Sarah ordered potato and cheese pierogies, James ordered a classic cheeseburger with French fries, Henri ordered a buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese bowl, Carly ordered mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce, Mrs. Shay ordered totchos, and Mr. Benson ordered boneless wings. Sarah, Carly, and I made up a team called the East End Crew, while James, Henri, Mrs. Shay, and Mr. Benson made up a team called Facebook Friends. "It's good that I have you as one of my Facebook friends, Mrs. Shay," James remarked, "even though I don't see Phillis anymore." "Whatever happened to that guy, Michael, that you were friends with on Facebook?" Mrs. Shay asked. "The Mistles moved to Apollo," I told everyone. "I have a new mentor named Jenna now who lives in Point Breeze." The categories in Trivia were 2018 Songs, United States Lakes, Immigrants, Chain Edition: Celebrity Edition, and Legal Terms. The Facebook Friends team ended up winning the game. "I didn't know a lot of those questions, Sarah," Carly confessed. "It was well back to my freshman year of high school when I learned all of these things, and I still don't remember a thing!" "I really don't remember learning any of this stuff in high school, Sarah," Carly admitted. After Trivia Night, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great evening, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Cat Cafe and Polish Hill

The last Saturday in July 2018 was cool when I met my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri, along with my other best friend, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie at the Colony Cafe in the Strip District. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Thanks for bringing me to the Cat Cafe," Carly remarked. "Yeah, it was a great idea," Mrs. Shay agreed. "Do you know how to play with cats in a public place, James?" "Of course, Mrs. Shay," James replied. "As long as it comes naturally to me." "What do you mean?" Mrs. Shay asked. "I've never owned a cat before, so I wouldn't really know." "That's like the time when you learned how to juggle," I told James. "Oh, right," James remembered. "I learned how to juggle balls in the air at the age of 14 years old." "Did you succeed?" Mrs. Shay asked. "Yes, with a little time and practice," James replied. After breakfast at the Colony Cafe, we went upstairs to the loft to play with the cats. "Mmm, those were good waffles, Mr. Benson," Henri stated. "Are you always obsessed with food, Henri?" Mr. Benson asked. "Yes, especially restaurant food," Henri stated. Carly was playing with a cat toy with a white kitty named Pamento. Sarah was also playing with a cat. "Sarah, Carly, I need to work on being nice to my cat, Mattie," I stated, petting another cat. "I've been to Angel's apartment and she has this cat, Mattie, whom apparently, she tortures," Sarah explained to Carly. "You torture your cat, Angel?" Carly asked me. "Why would you do that?" "Because I love her so much, Carly," I explained. "You know, if you treated the cats here this way, they would kick you out," Sarah told me in a strict tone of voice. Carly was petting Midnight when she bit her. "Ouch!" Carly exclaimed. "Don't play with that cat," Sarah stated. "She is rather rough." After our hour was over, Carly told us to come back to her relatives' house in Polish Hill for a special dinner after Sarah, James, Henri, and I shopped at a few stores in Polish Hill. Later that night, Sarah, James, Henri, and I joined Carly and her parents for dinner at their relatives' house in Polish Hill. Dinner was fried fish, halushki, pierogies, and potato pancakes. "Wow, this food is yummy," Sarah remarked. "It kind of reminds me of what I ate at the Three Rivers Arts Festival." "This food reminds me of what I ate at an ethnic festival during the fall of my freshman year in Natrona Heights," Carly stated. "I admit that you have grown up into such a beautiful young lady," Carly's Aunt Sasha remarked. "Thanks," Carly remarked. "I just bought this outfit at Monroeville Mall 2 weekends ago and wore something similar to this for Alex's birthday luncheon at Lidia's." "Hi, I'm Carly's good friend, Sarah Phillips," Carly remarked. "I am one of her other good friends, Angel Smith," I introduced. "Carly and I used to live together in Natrona Heights." "Hey, I used to live in Natrona Heights, too," Sarah added. "Well, you and I weren't neighbors, like Carly and I were," I pointed out. "Natrona Heights is also along the Allegheny River, just like the Strip District and Polish Hill." "Where do you guys live?" Aunt Sasha asked. "I just moved to Shadyside," Sarah pointed out. "I live in an apartment with my mom in Highland Park," I replied. "Mrs. Shay, do you guys like Klavon's Ice Cream Parlor?" James asked. "Of course we do, James," Mrs. Shay replied. "Classic ice cream shop." "That's good, because I brought ice cream for everyone for dessert," James stated. We spooned out dishes of ice cream for us to eat for dessert. After dinner, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Bowling at Arsenal Lanes

One hot first Saturday of August 2018, I met my childhood friends, Sarah, James, and Henri, along with one of my other best friends, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie, at Arsenal Bowling Lanes in Lawrenceville. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "I have brownies and beer for everyone to eat before we bowl," Carly told us. After our snack, we got our bowling shoes and our lanes set up. Sarah, Carly, and I were on one lane, while James, Henri, Mrs. Shay, and Mr. Benson were on another. My team had the lane with bumpers. "You know, James," Mrs. Shay told James. "We like to go bowling here around every Halloween." "I just love Halloween, Mrs. Shay," James declared. "It's one of my favorite holidays, and the only day of the year where you can pretend to dress up as anybody but yourself." "What was your favorite Halloween costume?" Mrs. Shay asked. "You should already know that," James replied. "A cowboy, of course. I especially loved handing out candy to the younger kids at age 15." James went first on his team. He got a bunch of strikes and spares in a row, and he did the cowboy salute. Henri took his turn after James. He also scored a lot of strikes and spares. Then, while Mrs. Shay bowled, Henri and Mr. Benson talked. "Do you like the Power Rangers, Mr. Benson?" Henri asked. "I sure do, Henri," Mr. Benson replied. "That's what I dressed up as on Halloween," Henri continued. "That's cool," Mr. Benson remarked. After Mrs. Shay was done bowling, Mr. Benson took his turn last. Meanwhile, I chatted with my team members, Sarah and Carly. "When was the last time you went bowling, Carly?" Sarah asked. "After we bowled together at Zone 28, I went bowling on Good Friday with my family. It's a tradition we have had every Easter weekend since I was 14 years old." "Watch how I can bowl without the big ramp to roll things down," I told my friends. Sarah and Carly watched me bowl. I got 2 spares in a row to kick off the final game. "That was very good, Angel!" Sarah complimented me. "Yeah, I'm still not very good at bowling," Carly agreed. Sarah took her turn to bowl after me. She got a strike on her next throw. "Good job, Sarah," Carly remarked. "Now, it's my turn." Carly took her turn bowling. She bowled a few strikes and spares the last game, too. After the games were over, Mrs. Shay and Mr. Benson ordered a pizza to share with us, since they didn't have lunch to eat at home. Pretty soon, it was time for me to leave. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Games n At

One cool second Saturday of August 2018, I met my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri, along with my other best friend, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie at Games n At on the South Side. First, Sarah, James, Henri, and I ate Saturday morning brunch at Waffalonia in Squirrel Hill. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "What should we play first, Sarah?" Carly asked. James, Henri, Mrs. Shay, and Mr. Benson quickly decided that they wanted to play a game of foosball. "This is one of my favorite games to play, guys," James stated. "James, it's funny how I thought this game was like football, at first," Henri told his brother. Henri sighed. "I just love to play football." "Oh, right," James remembered. "When we played football in our backyard since we couldn't get tickets to go to the football game one year." "Well, Freddie and I have tickets for all the Steelers home games coming up," Mrs. Shay told James. "You do, Mrs. Shay?" James asked. "Yes, James," Mrs. Shay replied. "Oh, I almost forgot that football season was coming up," Mr. Benson declared. "Were you ever unable to get tickets to a football game, Mr. Benson?" Henri asked. "It all depends, Henri," Mr. Benson replied. "If the games were all sold out, then yes! But if we purchased the tickets well in advance, then no!" Meanwhile, Sarah, Carly, and I played some fun games of our own, including skeeball, a Jurassic Park driving game, Cyclone, Wonder Wheel, basketball, and even one of my all-time favorite video games- Pac-Man! "This reminds me of the Pac-Man game I played at Summit Camp one year," I told Sarah and Carly. "I believe that I tried that game the same summer, except it was at a Rascal's in Lower Burrell," Carly stated. "Does it still exist?" I asked. "I don't think so," Carly replied. "Are you good at this game, Carly?" Sarah asked. "Absolutely, Sarah," Carly replied. "Why don't you and I play against each other, Carly, and then we can give Sarah a chance?" I asked Carly. "Sure, Angel," Carly agreed. After we got our highest scores, I gave Sarah a chance to try the game. "Wow, this was a pretty hard game to play," Sarah admitted. "Good job, girls!" "At least you did your best," I encouraged my best friend. "Yeah, that's all you can do," Carly agreed. After Games n At, we decided to stop at How Lee in Squirrel Hill for Chinese food. "Since you guys live closer to us, you can order from here any time you want if you are in the mood for Chinese food," Carly told us. "I know, since our apartment is just down the road on Shady Avenue," Sarah agreed. After dinner, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Black Panther

One mild third Saturday of August 2018, I met up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as one of my other best friends, Carly Shay and her parents, Sam and Freddie, at Riverview Park in the North Side to see the outdoor movie _The Black Panther_. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Thank goodness we're getting to see the movie," Carly stated. "I almost thought that we would have to watch the movie at my house because it was supposed to rain tonight." "Thankfully, it missed us," Mrs. Shay admitted. "I wonder who that could be right there," Mr. Benson pointed out, as a young woman came by. "That's Deborah, the lady who works with Pittsburgh Citiparks," Henri replied. "I remember when I got an A on my science project for Earth Day," James remembered. Sarah got shaky inside. "Don't remind me, James," Sarah sobbed. "I got a D, and that was one of the few occasions where you did better than me!" "Sorry about that," James apologized. "Anyway, I packed a nice picnic dinner for all of us to enjoy during the movie." The picnic dinner included fried chicken drumsticks and thighs, deviled eggs, carrot, celery, and cucumber slices with dip, pita bread triangles with hummus, watermelon slices, and cupcakes. "Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. "This was the exact same meal that I ate for Hannah Mifflin's 13th birthday celebration at Frick Park!" "Well, I guess it's a small world," Sarah stated. "I remember the best meal we had when Angel started Edinboro University was the pizza and ice cream that the campus provided," Carly remembered. "This is a good picnic dinner, James," Mrs. Shay remarked. "Thanks!" "You're welcome, Mrs. Shay," James replied. "Do you know why Deborah worked here at Riverview Park rather than Schenley Park, Henri?" Mr. Benson asked. "I'm not sure, Mr. Benson," Henri replied. "Apparently, she works for the whole company of Citiparks!" "I'm sorry you didn't do so well on your Earth Day project, Sarah," Carly sympathized. "That's okay, Carly," Sarah agreed. "Thanks." Pretty soon, the movie started, and we all enjoyed it while lying on our picnic blanket under the stars. After the movie was over, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


End file.
